WASHINGTON, D.C. / ACCESS Newswire / February 11, 2026 / A new report by Aimed Alliance, international patient advocates, and advocacy organizations, found that due to the United States' unique health care system, an international reference pricing program, such as those proposed under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) GUARD and GLOBE models, may not meaningfully improve affordability for consumers.

Aimed Alliance's new analysis, International Reference Pricing: Lessons Learned from Abroad, reviews prescription drug pricing practices across 23 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries and incorporates feedback from patients and advocacy organizations with experience engaging drug pricing bodies. The analysis describes how the U.S. health care system provides swift and priority access to novel treatments. The paper also highlights challenges experienced by patients abroad when their perspectives and experiences are not adequately incorporated into value-assessment frameworks.

"Consumers in the United States need prescription drug and health care affordability reforms that address high out-of-pocket costs," said Ashira Vantrees, Director of Legal Strategy & Advocacy at Aimed Alliance. "However, those reforms should be tailored to the U.S. health care supply chain and should not rely on analyses from other countries that have not fairly valued patients' insights and experiences."

The report highlights potential U.S.-based reforms that could more effectively address U.S. health care costs and describes patient-centered best practices in international reference pricing that CMS should adopt if it moves forward with GUARD or GLOBE.

International Reference Pricing: Lessons Learned from Abroad and its executive summary are available on the Aimed Alliance website.

CMS has published notices of proposed rulemaking that provide additional details on the GLOBE and GUARD models. Public comments on implementation of the models in the U.S. are due to CMS by February 23, 2026.

About Aimed Alliance

Established in 2013 and based in Washington, D.C., Aimed Alliance is a not-for-profit health policy organization that works to protect and enhance the rights of healthcare consumers and providers. Aimed Alliance achieves this mission by conducting legal research and analysis; developing sound, patient-centered policy recommendations; and disseminating its findings to inform policymakers and increase public awareness. For more information, visit aimedalliance.org.

Media Contact

Ashira Vantrees, Esq.
policy@aimedalliance.org

SOURCE: Aimed Alliance